Multiple plan sifter



B. NEAL. MULTIPLE PLAN' SIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1920. 1,368,826.

Patented Feb. 15,1921.

5 SHEETSSHEET I.

- B. NEAL.

MULTIPLE PLAN SIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.6, 1920.

1,368,826. Patented Feb. 15,1921.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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NEAL. MULTIPLE PLAN SIFTER. 1 APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, I920.

Patented" Feb. 15, 1921.

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MULTIPLE PLAN SIFTER. APPLICATION FILED MAILG. 1920.'

Patented Feb; 15, 1921.

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B. NEAL.

MULTIPLE PLAN SIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. 1920. 13689 28 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5- mum Fab.

BURTON NEAL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MULTIPLE V PLAN SIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Application filed March 6, 1920. Serial No. 363,699,

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BURTON NEAL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Multiple Plan Sifters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of milling wheat and has special reference to a novel construction of machine for use in separating the ground products of wheat in various stages of comminution, to recover the flour produced, to separate and return for further grinding the insufficiently reduced stock in various grades, according to the degree of reduction, and, finally, to separate the bran, or offal, from that portion of the stock which is to be used for making flour.

My improved machine operates on the principle of the well-known Hagenmacher plan-sifter, and has for its main object to produce a machine of this general type which will possess all the advantages of the plan-Sifter principle of separation, and which will have in addition a much greater capacity than the plan-Sifter machine as now constructed, or, in fact, than any other sifting machine of like dimensions now on. the market.

It is generally recognized by millers that the plan-sifter is a highly efiicient machine,

for separating the ground products of wheat, as the principle upon which it operates in sures'a more rapid, a cleaner separation and a greater capacity for the screen or sifting surface employed than any other machine used for this purpose. The only objection.

to its use, so far as I know, is the fact that the machine is relatively long and wide as compared with its height, and the provision of the necessary sifting surface fora given mill capacity requires the installation of more machines and the consequent use of more floor space, and of more shafting, belting, etc., than is the case when machines of other types are used which, while inferior in operation to the plan-sifter, have, individually, a greater capacity than the plan-Sifter and are, therefore, more economical to install and operate. I

So far as I am aware no attempt has even been made to increase the capacity of a plansifter machine by increasing the height of the machine to enable a larger number of sieves to be used in vertical series in each section thereof, for the reason that the stock entering the machine is delivered onto the first or top sieve, and passes from one sieve to the other, and the number of sieves used in vertical series must be regulated by the load on the first sieve. If the top sieve be too heavily loaded the'efiiciency of the machine will be destroyed, as the fine particles, or flour, are held away from the sifting cloth by the larger and heavier particles, and the sifting action is thereby greatly decreased. In fact, if the load be too great, the sifting action of the sieve is stopped entirely.

I have discovered, however, a means by which a machine operating on the plan-Sifter principle may be constructed of superimposed sieve sections extending to almost any desired height, and permit of the separate passage through the machine to the respective sections of a plurality of distinct streams of stock to be treated in the machine. The present invention is characterized, therefore, by the novel manner of feeding the stock to be treated to the machine and of passing the stock, both as respects the separated'prodnets and the incompletely ground middlings, through the machine, 7 whereby I am enabled to use a machine of considerable height, and having a greatly increased sieve surface, as compared with the ordinary plansifter.

In a typical'machine of my manufacture I would employ fifty-two units, including the sieves and carriers, arranged in four sections of thirteen sieves each, in a single vertical series, as compared with a maximum of fourteen such units in vertical series in an ordinary plan-Sifter. In the latter type of machine, the only way in which the capacity can be increased over the use of a single section is by arranging a series of sections in a single frame, side by side, each section having, as stated, not to exceed fourteen sieves; In practice, three of these sections are usually embodied in a single casing. It will be understood, however, that each of these sections is entirely separate and distinct from the other sections. Each of my machines, therefore, will have one-third more capacity than anordinary plan-Sifter,

and as my machines, owing-to their small lateral dimension, are operated in pairs, with the power shaft between them, a pair of my machines, constituting a single machine unit, will have two-thirds more capacity than an ordinary plan-sitter machine, and for the same floor space occupied by an ordinary plan-sifter, I have a sifting surface equal to that of two and two-thirds plan-Sifters.

This result 1 accomplish, moreover, with the use of a less amount of floor space than is required by an ordinary plan-slfter, as the only increase in dimension in a sieve section is a lengthening by a few inches of the sieve ploy a fourth section in addition.

By my improved system of arranging the sieve sections in vertical series and feeding the stock simultaneously to the respective sections, one is able to evenly distribute the stock going to the machine so that every section has the proper amount of stock distributed to it, and each set of sieves isunder control as to the amount of stock it should handle. This is accomplished by passing the stock in separate streams down through the distributing end of the machine to the respective distributing sieves of each section, which distributing sieves divide each stream of stock into, usually, four smaller streams, which are supplied to the set of sieves in each section for the sifting operation.

Having thus stated, in a general way, the nature and purpose of my invention 1 will now proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view in side elevation of my improved machine; i

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic vertical sectional view through one of the machines, illustrating the course of the various products therethrough;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the fifty-two sieves of a machine arranged in numerical order, some of said sieves being broken away to conserve space;

Fig.5 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of sieve No. 1, which is the distributing sieve; and g Fig. 6' is a similar view of sieve No. A, which is selected as typical of all of the other sieves, the figure being designed to make clearer the diagrammatic illustration of Fig. 4:, and the description thereof.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the letters A and B, respectively, indicate two plan-sitter machines constructed according to my invention, and located on either side of a vertical shaft C which is secured at its upper and lower ends in stationary heads D and E which are secured on cross-bars F and G' rigidly connecting the two machines together at their upper and lower ends. Secured at their inner ends on the upper and lower ends of the shaft {3 are weighted arms H and I. At its upper end the shaft C is provided with a bearing J which is connected by a universal joint K with a movable drive shaft L, the connection being off center about 1% inches. Atits upper end the movable drive shaft L is connected by a universal joint M to a fixed drive shaft N provided with a pulley 0. At its lower end the shaft C is mounted in a movable ring plate P, the movement of which is controlled by the ends of rods Q bearing on the periphery of said ring plate under pressure of springs R As'the movable shaft L is rotatedthe weights H and Icause a gymtory movement to be imparted to the two.

machines, the ring plate moving in an orbit controlled by the spring pressed rods 7Q, until the shaft C comes to a center. Vooden rods S, secured at their upper ends to the ceiling, or other fixed part of the building T, and at their lower portions to the sides of the machines A and B, serve to control the gyratory movement of the machines and to absorb the vibration which would otherwise, be occasioned. The construction and operation thus far described are well known and form no part of the present invention, and are referred to briefly so that the operation of the machine as a whole may be clearly understood.

As the shaft L is rotated themachines are given a gyratory movement to agitate and cause a travel of the stock therein in a manner well known to those skilled in the art and which; need not be more particularly described. 7

Mounted on the interior of each of the plan-Sifters is a series of separating units, composed essentially of sieves of different grades, and carriers, which latter differ from the'sieves and carriers of an ordinary plansifter mainly in having their distributing ends lengthened to provde the necessary additional openings for the passage of the stock-through the machine. 7

.All of the units in a plan-sifterare commonlycalled sieves, although some of them are simply'ca'rriersa For convenience I have preserved this terminology, but have distinguished between the sieves and car'- riers in the description of the machine following." A

' All of the sieves, are, in a general way, of the same construction, differing from each other mainly in the arrangement and location of the apertures through which the stock tailing over is passed fromthe sieve; and all of the carriers are'likewise of the same general construction, differing from each other also in the arrangement and lo-- cation of the apertures for permittingthe escape of the stock therefrom. The carricrs differ essentially from the sieves in the fact that they are not foraminous, their functionbeing to convey the stockpassing onto them from the sieve above, back to the opposite end of the machine at which it is received by the carrier and then deposit it at the head of a sieve below it, or to carry the finished product out of the machine. The sieves and carriers are indicated in order in the drawing by the numerals from 1 to 52, beginning at the top of the machine and extending to the bottom. In Fig. 4 the sieves are arranged side by side for the purpose of describing the flow of the stock over and through them, but the numerical order of the sieves is preserved. All of the sieves and carriers are provided with the usual flights, indicated in the typical sieve of Fig. 6 by the letters V, to produce the travel of the stock, as usual in this type of machine. The sieves, being, as stated, of the same general construction,a description of the first, or distributing sieve will be given, followed by a description of the paths of the unfinished products and flour through the machine, in the course 01": which description the location and arrangement of the apertures in the respective sieves will be indicated. It is thought in this manner the construction, as well as the operation, may be more clearly indicated than by aseparate description of each sieve.

The sieve 1 comprises a rectangular frame 53 which is divided by parallel, longitudinally extending partitions 54 into four channels, indicated by the letters U, which channels are sub-divided at the distributing end of the sieve by means of transverse partltions 55 into rectangular spaces, some of which are in the form'of apertures, and

some of which are closed. In the case of sieve number 1, the four spaces adjacent to the inner ends of the channels U are in the form of openings X The numeral 56, Figs. 2 and 3 indicates a chute which conveys the stream of stock to be treated to the plan-sitter, from which chute the stock passes into the branch chutes 57, 58, 59 and 60, the main stream of stock being thereby divided into four separate streams which enter the plan-sitter through the usual cloth tubes 61, 62, 63 and 64, shown in Fig. 1. Each of these cloth tubes is secured to an inlet on the top of the distributing sieve 1, said inlets being indicated, respectively, by the numerals 65, 66, 67- and 68.. Located directly under each of these inlets on the distributing sieve 1 are partitions extending at right angles to each other across the opening, as indicated by the numeral 69, to provided four openings, so that inthe gymtory motion of the plan-sitter each of the streams of stock entering each inlet will again be subdivided into four streams which. in the case of the distributing sieve 1. are caused to flow direct to the respective openings X through which they pass and fall into the channels U of the second. sieve.

The sieve 2 has its bottom composed of No. 20 wire cloth, designated by W. C. in Fig. 4, and at its tail end is provided with two sets of rectangular openings, the inner set being indicated generally by the letter Y. The outer set, indicated on sieve 4 by the letters a. b. c. and (Z. are first brought into use on said sieve *4, so that they are indicated on this sieve. This designation of the openings at the tail end of the sieves will be made for all of the sieves, so that the opening a in one sieve will correspond to, and have the same relative location as, the opening a in any other sieve. In its passage over the sieve 2 a certain portion of the stock will sift through and fall upon the carrier 3. That portion of the stock, indicated by the line A in Fig. 3, which tails over, passes through the openings Y in sieve 2 and through two corresponding openings Y in carrier 3 and falls upon sieve 4, whenceit passes out through opening (1. thereof and passes down through all of the openings a in the various sieves and carriers, these openings forming a continuous channel, and out at the bottom of the machine, as indicated. The stock falling in the chan nels of the carrier 3, and indicated by B in Fig. 3, is carried rearwardly on said carrier to an opening X whence it falls upon the sieve 4, which sieve has its bottom covered with No. 44 grits gauze, designated by G. GF in the drawing. The stock on this sieve is caused to travel down the two center channels and back in the two outside channels, the course middlings, or coarse particles that will not go through the cloth, tailing over said sieve through openings X and corresponding openings similarly designated in sieve 5 onto sieve 6 whence it is conducted on said sieve to an opening (2 at the head of the sieve. The openings X in sieve 4 are covered with wire gauze to permit the escape of the stock while retaining the locust seed traveling with said stock, as later referred to. The opening 6 is correspondingly indicated on all of the sieves and forms a continuous conduit through the machine, so that the stock, which in this case is coarse Iniddlings. conducted to the opening 6 in sieve 6 will pass down through the machine and out at the bottom as indicated in Fig. 3. The stock that goes through the grist gauze on sieve 4 drops onto sieve 5 which is covered with 12XX silk, or what is termed flouring cloth, indicated by F. C. in the drawings. This stock is composed of the medium and fine middlings and flour, and is indicated by C in Fig. 3. The stock on sieve 5 passes down through the two center channels and back through the two outside channels, and what flour does not go through the cloth together with the medium and fine middlings tails oil of said sieve through further reduction.

openings X and through similar openings correspondingly designated on sieve 6, onto sieve 7, which sieve is covered with 13XX silk, which is another flouring cloth. The stock travels in this case down the two outer channels and back through the two cen tral channels and what flour does not go through the cloth together with medluin and fine middlings tails off of said sieve through openings X and similar openings correspondingly designated in sieve 8, to sleve 9, which is covered with No. grits gauze, indicated by G. G. The stock travout at the bottom thereof, as indicated in Fig. 3.

Middlings and flour, indicated by D in Fig. 3, going through sieve 9 drop onto sieve 10 which is covered with MXX silk, which is also a flouring cloth, and travels down and back on said sieve, the fine mida dlings together with the flour in the same tailing off of said sieve through openings X and through corresponding open ngs similarly designated in sieve 1 1 onto more 12, which is covered with 15X); silk flouring cloth. The remaining flour 1s dusted through this cloth, what is left being hue middlings, which-tail oil of the sieve 12 through openings X and drop onto sieve 13, whence it is conducted on said sieve to opening g, all of the sieves'having a corresponding opening forming a continuous channel, so that the fine middhngs entering said opening 9 will pass down through the machine and out atthe bottom.

This completes the travel of the unfinished product through the machine which product is to be returned to the j mill for bottom, as indicated at the right of Fig.

The next flour is obtained from the product passing through the cloth on sieve 7. This flour, indicated by F drops onto sieve 8,

which is a carrier, and gathers the flour and The fiour or finished conducts it to opening Z) at the tail of the carrier, where it joins stream E and passes down through the machine and out at the bottom. The next flour obtained is the prodnot passing through the cloth onsieve number 10. This flour, indicated by G drops onto sieve 11, which is a carrier, and which acts to gather the flour and conduct it to opening 0, through which it passes down through the machine and out at the bottom. The next flour, indicated by H is obtained from the product passing through the cloth on sieve 12, which drops onto sieve 13, which is a carrier, and which operates to gather said flour and conduct it to opening at, whence it passes down through the machine and out at the bottom.

The second stream of stock which will enter the machinethrough the tube 62 will be divided into four separate streams at the inlet 65. and will pass through openings formed by corresponding partitions 69 in the distributing ends of all the sieves from 2 to 13 and will fall upon the sieve 14, which is a distributing sieve corresponding to sieve 1, and the passage of the flour and stock over and through the various sieves and carriers indicated by the numerals 14 to 26 will be the same as just indicated with respect to the sieves and carriers indicated by the numerals from 1 to 13, corresponding products passing through corresponding openings, as clearly indicated on the drawing. In the same way the stream of flour entering the inlet 67 will pass into the distributing sieve 27. and the stream entering the inlet 68 will pass onto the distributing sieve 40. 'Thus, the streams of the unfinished product passin through the second section, including the sieves from 14- to 26, are indicated by the reference characters B C and D those passing through the third section, including the sieves from 27 to 39, by the reference characters B C and D and those passing through the fourth section including the sieves from 40 to 52, by the reference characters B, 0*, and D It willbe understood that the various streams 13 ,13 ,13 and 13* pass through corresponding openings and are combined and pass out of the machine as a single stream. Thethreestreams are indicated at the bottom ofFig; 3 by the reference characters applied, respectively, to the streams originating in the first "section,

namely B C and D In. the same manner, as shown at the right of Fig. 3, the four streams indicated, respectively, by A A A and A being the first scalp of the respective sections, pass through corresponding,

openings. and are combined as a single stream, being designated at the'h ottom of the figure by the reference character first used, namely A The reference characters E F E 1 ,53 F, E and F", indicate corresponding streams of the first flour which, passing through corresponding openings. combine into a single stream and pass out at the bottom of the machine, where it is designated by the two reference characters E and F his particular stream of flour differs from the others in that two streams thereof are recovered from each section of the machine. The reference characters G G", G and G? represent the secondflour passing from the four sections of the machine, these streams combining into one stream, as in the previous cases, and being indicated by the reference character first used, G The reference characters H H H and H indicate the streams of the third flour passing from the four sections of the machine, which pass out of the machine as a single stream, the latter being indicated by the reference character first employed, H.

In order that the differences existing between my machine and the ordinary plansifter may be better understood I may state that the sieves from 1 to 13 would constitute the entire vertical sifting capacity of an ordinary plan-Sifter machine; and, as previously stated, any increase in capacity was secured by combining a greater or less number of such sections side by side in a suitable frame. In such arrangement, however, the flow of the stock in each section is wholly independent of the flow of the stock in every other section. The problem presented, therefore, was to. enable three additional units, comprising the sieves 14 to 26, 27 to 39 and 40 to 52, respectively, to be used in a single machine in vertical series. To do this it was necessary to provide means whereby the similar product of each'unit would pass through a corresponding outlet extending through the machine, either as respects the flour, or the unfinished product to be returned to the mill for further reduction. Such result I haveaccomplished by slightly increasing the lengthof the distributing end of the sieves to provide for the accommodation and sub-division of four streams of stock, the first stream being distributed on sieve 1, thesecond' stream passing through saidsieve and all of the intervening sieves from 2 to 13 onto the second distributing sieve 14, thethird stream passing through sieve 1 and all of the intervening sieves from 2 to 26 and falling on the third distributing sieve 27, and the fourth stream passing through the sieve 1 and all of the intervening sieves'from 1 to 39 and falling on the fourth distributing sieve 40. In each unit or section the treatment is a duplicate of what occurs in all of the other sections, and, as stated, corresponding products from each section are combined with corresponding products from every other section.

In the plan-Sifter type of machine the sieves are kept clean, 2'. e., the sifting surface are freed from adhering flour, by the use of locust seed and wheat kernels. I have described the openings X in sieve 4 as being covered with wire gauze to prevent the locust seed from passing through with the stock on said sieve. These seeds remain on sieve 4, being continuously circulated over the same with the stock. The wheat seeds are first applied to sieve 5 and travel with the ground product over all of the sieves except the last, and are returned from the last sieve of each section to sieve 2, where they fall on inclines Z delivering them to openings Z in said sieve through which they fall onto a small incline Z which deliver them to openings Z insieve 3, through which openings, and openings Z in sieve 4, they fall upon sieve 5 on which sieve, as stated, they are first used. The wheat seeds follow the course of the stock from sieve 5 to sieve 9 in which latter the openings X are covered with wiregauze to prevent these seeds from passing through with the stock. In like manner, and for the same reason, openings X in sieve 12 are covered with wire gauze. An opening Z in sieve 9 permits the seeds to fall through to sieve 10, suitable means, (not shown), being provided to conduct the seeds to the sifting portion of said sieve; and in sieve 12 openings Z permit the seeds to fall through said sieve upon inclines Z on sieve 13, which inclines slope in the direction of the conveyer Z, so that the seed will be delivered to and lifted by said conveyor, which will in turn deliver them upon the upper incline Z I have not considered it necessary to illustrate or describe in any greater detailthe construction and operation of these spiral conveyers, and the course of the seeds, as the operaton in my machine in this respect is the same as with any other-type of plansifter, and my invention is not particularly concerned with this feature.

In Fig. 3, all of the rectangular divisions at the head and tail of the sieves which are closed, are cross-hatched. Those covered iyith wire gauze are provided with crisscross mes.

While I have described and illustrated the use of four sieve sections in each of my machines, I wish it understood that the invention is not confined to the particular number of sections, as the number of sections may be any number from two upward. For general milling purposes, however, I believe a machine having not to exceed four sections will be found to be more practicable than one having a greater number of sections.

I claim 1. A multiple plan-Sifter comprising a series of sieve sections arranged in vertical series, each section having a number of sieves adapted to separate from stock and to separately deliver the flour and unfinished products in a plurality of streams as to each, a plurality of inlets provided in the frame of the machine for delivering stock to said sections, the top sieve of the first section being located under the first inlet, and all of the sieves of each section except the last having corresponding alining openings located in order, and progressively, under the remainder of said inlets, the openings in all of said sections, after the first, alining with the openings in said first section and said openings terminating in order above the top sieve of successive sections.

2. A multiple plan-sifter comprising i a series of sieve sections arranged in vertical series, each section having a number. of sieves adapted to separate from stock and to sepas rately deliver the flour and unfinished prod-- nets in a plurality of streams as to each, the corresponding sieves in each section being constructed to function in the same manner, a plurality of inlets provided in the frameof the machine for delivering stock to said sections, the top sieve of the first section being located under the first inlet, and all of the sieves of each section except the last having corresponding alining openings located, in order and progressively under the remainder of "said inlets, the openings in all of said sections, after the first, alining with. the openings in said first section and said openings terminating in order above the top sieve of successive sections.

3. A multiple plan-Sifter comprising a series of sieve sections arranged in vertical series, eachsection having a number of sieves adapted to separate from-stock, and separately deliver, the flour and unfinished products in a plurality of streams as to each, the corresponding sieves in each section being constructed to function in the same manner, and each of said sections having through openings for the passage through the sieves and from the machine of the streams of flour and unfinished products, which openings communicate W1l1l1 corresponding openings in all of the other sections.

4. A multiple plan-sitter comprising a series of sieve sections arranged in vertical series, each section having a number of sieves adapted to separate from st0ck, and separately deliver the flour and unfinished products in a plurality ofstreams as to each, the corresponding sieves in each section being constructed to function in the same manner, and all of the sieves in all of the sections having corresponding openings which aline to provide through openings for the passage through the sieves and from the machine of the streams of flour and unfinished products.

5. A multiple plan-Sifter comprising a series of sieve sections arranged in vertical series, each section having a number of sleves adapted to separate from stock and to separately deliver the flour and unfinished said sections, after the first, alining with the openings in said first section, and saidopen ings terminating in order above the distributing sieve of successive sections.

6. A multiple plan sifter comprising a series of sieve sections arranged in vertical series, each sectionhaving the same number of sieves adapted to separate from stock, and to separately deliver the flour and unfinished products in a plurality ofstreams as to each, the corresponding sieves'in each section being constructed to function in the same manner, a plurality of inlets provided in the frame of the machine for delivering stock to said sections, each of said sections having'a' distributing sieve at the top, the distributing sieve of' the first section being located under the first inlet, and all of the sieves of each section having corresponding openings located, in order and progressively under the remainder of said inlets, the openings in all of said sections, after the first, alining With openings in said first section, and said openings terminating in order above the .dis tributing sieve of successive sections, and each of said sections having through open ings for the passage through the sieves and from the machine of the streams of flour and unfinished products, which openings communicate with corresponding openings in all of the other sections.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

BURTON NEAL. 

